Christmas Catch Up, Part Two…

Now where was I, when I last posted?  Oh, yes!  It was about to be Christmas Eve…Ed and I made some Christmas candy, then hosted a family “Low Country Boil” on the Friday evening before Christmas Eve.  Everybody was able to come except Jennifer, who had to work.

Not a lot of excitement went on around our house on Christmas Eve this year.  Usually, we host a family party or get-together of some sort, but this year we left the evening free.

Our oldest son, Brett,  and his wife, Christina,  celebrated Christmas with Christina’s family on Christmas Eve day.  Jennifer and Brad celebrated with her family on Christmas Eve night.  Brett and Christina decided to let their son, Caden, open his Christmas gifts on Christmas Eve night, so Ed and I went to their house and watched him enjoy his new toys for a while.  Caden got a battery-powered tractor for Christmas, and he was thrilled!

Later in the evening (on Christmas Eve), Ed helped our son-in-law put a trampoline together.  At some point, Brad came and helped them.  I think the men finished their project shortly before midnight–and tried out the trampoline when they finished!  Boys will be boys!  After all, part of the joy of Christmas is getting to play with new toys…

Christmas morning began with a phone call from our granddaughter, Madison.  She wanted us to come over and see what Santa had brought her.  I asked her if she had looked outside, and she replied, “No.”  We walked over to her house just as she discovered the trampoline sitting in her yard.  The look on her face was priceless!   I feel really blessed to live close enough to our grandchildren to be able to share special moments like these…

Jennifer had to work on Christmas Day, so she wasn’t able to eat with us or to be there for our “Dirty Santa” gift exchange.  However, she joined us via telephone and gave Brad advice on whether to pick a new, wrapped gift or steal an opened one from somebody during the exchange!  She chose to steal Brandy’s gift of a wedge bed pillow and matching throw!  Here’s a picture of  Brad on the phone with her…

It turned out that great minds think alike, and two of the gifts in the “Dirty Santa” game were remote-controlled helicopters.  Our son-in-law opened up the first helicopter, but it was quickly taken from him.  That’s why it’s called “Dirty Santa”.  Both of our sons ended up with helicopters as one of their gifts.  This made for a lot of laughs and some grown-up fun.  Give a man a toy and he’ll become a kid again!

Some time later, well after the “Dirty Santa” gift exchange was over, I realized that nobody had received our priceless, thirty-year-old family heirloom–those infamous “Christmas Panties”.   I knew that Jennifer received them last Christmas, so I asked Brad where they were.  He told me that Jennifer had decided to keep them for an extra year…It turns out that he was telling a little lie to cover up the fact that he forgot to bring them out at the end of the gift exchange!   Later that evening, after Jennifer got home from work, she pulled the forgotten gift from behind our couch and presented it to–Ed!  That’s right, Ed was the lucky recipient of the Christmas Panties this year!

We were so busy, we almost forgot to take our annual Christmas family photo this year!  Finally, late in the afternoon, right before everyone was getting ready to leave, we all picked out a funny hat and posed for our picture.  Daughter, Brandy is wearing one of this year’s new additions to my collection.  It’s a chimney with Santa’s legs sticking out of it!  I like Christina’s hat with the spring on top of it, too…

CHRISTMAS 2011

Our family had exactly one day to rest up from Christmas, then we were off to the hospital bright and early for the scheduled arrival of little Chase Walker on Tuesday, December 27th!  His mom and dad had to leave home around 6:15 in the morning–in the rain!  Ed and I arrived at the hospital around 9.  We’d been in the waiting room for about 45 minutes when I heard Brahms’s Lullaby playing over the intercom.  I wondered out loud if this meant that our baby had arrived.  I got my answer about five minutes later when they paged us to come to the nursery!

Yes, indeed, our little Chase had arrived, and let me tell you,  he’s one sweet little bundle of joy!  What a Christmas gift!   The Christmas of 2011 will definitely be a Christmas to remember…

Wednesday Hodgepodge…T’was Just Days Before Christmas

T’was just days before Christmas…and all through the house…everyone  was scurrying–including Joyce, but she  took the time to  post  today’s questions and host The Hodgepodge!   Now that’s what I call dedication!  Thanks, Joyce!  Now, the rest of us need to answer the questions, then make our rounds visiting other participants!

1. Are you cooking Christmas dinner? How many will be round your table this year? What are we having?  Yes, I am cooking.  I’ve cooked every Christmas dinner for over 20 years.  That’s a lot of hams and turkeys!  If the good Lord is willing, we will have ten around our table.  Jennifer has to work, unfortunately.  Baked ham is on the menu.

2. What is one must-have Christmas cookie in your house?  In years past, it’s been decorated sugar cookies.  I think I’m going to pass on that tradition this year.  Daughter, Brandy, has been at her house baking cookies for a week now.  She’s shared the fruits of her labor with the entire family, so we’ve got cookies!  I do plan to make some Christmas candy though.  Some like fudge, while others like buckeyes…

3. Santa likes a glass of milk with his cookies. Do you? What kind of milk is on tap at your house-skim? almond? soy? full fat (Gasp!)  Just last year I finally gave in, and switched to 2% milk.  I refuse to compromise any more than that!

4. Time magazine recently named their ‘Person of the Year’ for 2011. This is the person the editors believe had the greatest impact, for better or worse, in the past year. This year they chose ‘The Protester’. Your thoughts? Who would you name Person of the Year for 2011?    When I heard this news, it made me ill!  All this bunch of people did was make a mess and cause trouble for others–and they got paid to do it!  How about we shine the spotlight on the police officers or small business owners who were having to deal with the “crap” of the protesters, rising crime rates, or a lousy economy this year!

5. December 21st is National Flashlight Day… when was the last time you needed a flashlight and did you know right where to find one?  I use a flashlight regularly, to check on my cats outside, so I keep my flashlight beside the door.

6. Candy canes…yum or yuck?  I can take or leave them, so I’m going to say yuck.

7. What Christmas carol lyric means the most to you?  Oh Holy Night…especially when sung by Josh Grobin

Random:  On the Field Trip last Friday, Brandy, Madison, and I decided to have our picture taken with Santa Claus.  It was the first time that I ever remember having my picture made with Santa!  Better late than never, right?

Mother, Daughter, Granddaughter...and Santa!

Meet Me On Monday…The Christmas Countdown!

Can it really be the week of Christmas?  Please, say it isn’t so! I’m not ready… There’s no time to waste, so let’s jump right to Java’s questions for this week’s edition of “Meet Me On Monday”…

1.Wrapping paper or gift bags? I use both, but I  use more wrapping paper than bags.
2.Real or artificial tree?  Artificial
3.When do you put your tree up?  The weekend after Thanksgiving
4.When do you take your tree down?  I begin taking decorations down a day or two after New Year’s Day.
5.Do you like eggnog?  No
6.Do you have a nativity scene?  Yes, actually I have more than one.
7.Favorite Christmas Movie?  National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
8.Favorite Christmas cookie?  Fruitcake cookies or frosted sugar cookies, can’t decide which.
9.Where will you eat Christmas dinner?  At home, I’m cooking for the family.
10.Angel, bow or star on top of your tree?  None of the above, we have a Boyd’s Bear on top of the tree because it’s the only thing that fits.
11.Most annoying thing about this time of the year?  The crowds!
12.Do you like Fruitcake?  Not really, but I do like fruitcake cookies.
13.What are you most excited about the holidays?  Playing Dirty Santa with our children, and seeing the grandchildren playing with their new toys on Christmas.
14.Do you open presents Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning?  On Christmas Day, after lunch.
15.Will you still be wrapping presents on Christmas Eve?  I sure  hope not!

Weekend Wrap-up: Our weekend didn’t go exactly as planned…Brad and Jennifer’s party was cancelled. Jennifer came down with a case of “Christmas Crud”! You know, sore throat, fever, laryngitis…it was bad, but at least it’s not the flu! She went to the doctor on Thursday, and she is finally feeling better today.

On Thursday evening, Ed and I attended the Christmas Party at The Griffin House, where his mama is a resident.  I was so proud that every one of our children and their families (except Jennifer, who was sick)  came, too!  I’m pretty sure that Ed’s mama had the most family present at the party!

Friday I accompanied my daughter and granddaughter on a Field Trip to Savannah.  After the activities of the Field Trip were over, we did a little last-minute shopping.  The crowds weren’t bad at all in the beginning, but by the time we were leaving…oh. my. word!

Ed and I did a little shopping on Saturday morning (using our Dollar General coupons), we had a nice lunch together at one of our favorite local restaurants, then we came home and I took a nap, while Ed washed my car for me.  (Thanks Ed!)

On Sunday we did a few things around the house, and just relaxed. I enjoyed the calm before the storm of activities that will be coming this week!  Later, Brad and Jennifer, and some old and dear friends of ours came by for a visit on Sunday afternoon, and we enjoyed visiting with all of them.

At one point during the weekend, our little granddaughter, Madison, came over for a little visit. Her mom happened to mention that Madison had learned all of the words to “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer”.   Madison was in a “performing” mood, and was willing to sing for my camera.  Here’s her performance:

Thursday’s Thoughts…

Is anyone else feeling like time is running out? So much to do, and so little time…I’ve cut my “to do” list down to the bare minimum, and I still can’t seem to get everything done.

I did manage to get about half of the Christmas presents wrapped yesterday. That’s about all that I got accomplished. It was one of those days when I couldn’t stray too far from the bathroom, if you get my drift…Since I wasn’t feeling my best, while I was wrapping the presents, it seemed like all of the Christmas music playing on the radio sounded sad. Of course, that could be because songs like “Christmas Shoes” and “Christmas Carol” were playing! What the heck?  I could have used a blast of “Run Run Rudolph”!

One funny thing did happen yesterday. The phone rang and I answered it. My daughter was on the other end, and she said “Look out of the front door!” I looked out, and what I saw made me laugh out loud!  Brandy was just driving into the yard, and attached to her mini van was a large set of antlers and a big red nose!  She was driving a reindeer van!  I wanted to take a picture, but she drove away before I got the chance.

I also got a nice surprise when Ed brought in the mail yesterday. I received a lovely gift of three handmade (crocheted) hot pads from blog friend, Sammie, aka “Mama Bear”. This sweet and thoughtful gift was part of a “pay it forward” challenge that Mama Bear issued,  and I accepted about a year ago. I love my gift, and will think of my friend whenever I use them.  Thanks, Mama Bear!

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. I’ll be joining my granddaughter and her mama for a school field trip. They will be traveling to the library in Savannah for a Christmas “story telling” session, then on to the mall for a train ride. These field trips remind me of my former working days…but it’s kind of nice to tag along and not be responsible for any students! I like going along as a grandma best

On Saturday night,  Jennifer and Brad are hosting a little family Christmas get-together at their house.  They are currently living in Ed’s mom’s house, and it’s a home that’s made for entertaining, with its gigantic “sunken” den.

one of the many family Christmases held in that "sunken" den...cir 1975 That's me in red!

By sunken, I mean you have to step down into it.  Remember when that was stylish?  I love that den!  I once sat on those steps as a young girl, (before it became a den, it was a carport) and watched a young Ed working on his car!

Anyway, I’m looking forward to a party in that den, as I’m sure it will remind me of some good times…Ed and I even had our wedding rehearsal dinner in that den!

I’m going to get my hair cut today, then back home to attempt to finish my gift wrapping!  At least my stomach seems to be better, thank goodness.  Let’s hope I can find some “happy” music on the radio today, too!

Wednesday Hodgepodge…December 7

Take a breather, stop baking and wrapping, or whatever you are doing, and let’s join Joyce for a little Wednesday Hodgepodge.  Just click her cute little button to join in…

1. Will you be hosting any house guests between now and the end of December? Does that thought make you happy or crazy? Do you do anything special for your guests to make them feel at home? How long should a house guest stay?

As far as I know, I won’t be hosting any house guests this Christmas.  I miss the “good ole’ days” when our family used to visit back and forth with my brother and his family at Christmas time, so it makes me sad that we no longer do this…I don’t know why we stopped–probably due to my health or we both had too much going on.    I used to always try to cook a German Chocolate cake for my brother whenever he visited because it’s his favorite.

David, one of these is waiting for your next visit

2. Walter Elias Disney was born this week (December 5) back in 1905 …what’s your all time favorite Disney movie? Here’s a list in case you’re struggling…and yes, you have to pick one.

I flip and flop back and forth between “The Little Mermaid” and “The Lion King”.  I love them both equally, and can watch them over and over.

3. What was the last thing you purchased that you realized was a mistake after the fact?

I purchased a couple of “door ringers” on Monday.  You know, those gold rings with large red bows and bells hanging from them.  I quickly changed my mind after I bought them, and returned them the same day.

4. What percentage of your Christmas shopping is done online?

I did about two-thirds of my shopping online this year.  It’s so much easier, and most of the time shipping is free!  Gasoline for my car is not free, and since I have to travel a minimum of 30 miles to shop, it’s more economical for me to order online.

5. Amaryllis-snowdrop-poinsettia…your favorite winter blossom?

I’m partial to old-fashioned poinsettias– the red ones!

6. What is one thing on your personal Christmas wish list? I think we all want peace on earth so let’s make this answer an actual item.

At the top of my wish list is–to have a happy, healthy family, together at Christmas.  I know you may not count this as an item, but it’s what really counts.  If you insist on having a material item answer–it would be the rotating, ceramic Christmas tree that I saw on Monday.

7. If you could only use one word today what would it be?

Thankful. (for all that I have–and do not have)

I’ve been listening to some “hard luck” stories on the radio.  You know, the ones where certain families are experiencing difficult times and need a little extra help this time of the year.  The stories I’ve been listening to concern families who have a member who is gravely ill.  Like a three-year-old with leukemia,   or the mother (of small children) who is dying of cancer.  The radio announcer could barely read the letters without breaking down…  Hearing these stories makes me feel thankful–very, very thankful…Which brings to mind some members of my own family.

Last year, just before Christmas, my aunt (mama’s sister) passed away.  I was in bed with the flu, and missed the funeral.  In January, the aunt’s oldest daughter (Shava Jean) suffered another blow when her husband (Charles) suffered from  a ruptured aorta.  By all doctor’s accounts, Charles should have passed away, but yet he survived.  However, he spent months in the hospital followed by rehab.  In fact, Charles has spent the entire year in and out of the hospital.  He will be on dialysis for life as a result of his grave illness.   Shava Jean has been by his side the entire time.  In the middle of Charles’ recovery, their daughter, Traci, was diagnosed with breast cancer!  She had a mastectomy, and is currently undergoing chemotherapy. ( Can you imagine?  First losing your mother, then almost losing your husband, then to find our your daughter has cancer?)  This family has been through so much this year, but they’ve survived!  Which brings to mind a favorite song of mine:

A ChristmasTrain Story…

Since today is Tuesday, and I always join the Tuesday Train blog hop, I have to share my Christmas train story with you.  Most of my Christmas decorations have a story to go along with them–like where they came from,  who I was with when I bought them, or even what prompted me to get them.  Here is the Christmas Train story of 2011…

I bought a Christmas train set many years ago, when our children were growing up.  I used the train around our Christmas tree for several years, but eventually I stopped using it because it became difficult to put all of our presents under the tree because of the train and its tracks.  The old train has been packed away for quite a while.

Flash forward to now, when all of the children are now grown and we have grandchildren.  We only shop for the grands and a “Dirty Santa Game” that we play with our kids, so we don’t put many gifts under our main tree anymore.  Now there’s no reason not to use the train set, right?  Besides, our little grandson loves trains, and he would get a thrill out of it!  Did I mention that I saw a neat train set while I was out shopping the other day?

I couldn’t really justify buying a new train set when l still had one at home–even though the new one was radio controlled, whistled and played Christmas tunes, and came with a locomotive and five cars–two of which had moving parts!

So, on Sunday I got out my old train set to see if it would still work.  Unfortunately, it required six batteries…I found three old ones, and borrowed three new ones from my daughter–just to see if it would work.  No luck!  I figured maybe some of the batteries weren’t any good.

I asked Ed to go to town and buy us some lunch and six new batteries.  I even gave him the money!  I was thinking if the train didn’t work, I’d go back and get that shiny new set I’d seen at the store.  About 45 minutes later, Ed returned with lunch–and only four batteries!  The batteries came in packs of four, and he said he didn’t want to purchase a second pack!  That made me mad–and before the day was over I had what’s commonly known as a “Jack Attack” (named after my mother, Jackie, who had a nasty temper).  What was I supposed to do with only four new batteries?!

Ed used  the four new batteries that he bought, plus two borrowed batteries, and  finally got part of the old train to work.  It was sluggish…(could it have been from mixing the batteries-duh?!)   Ed said, “the switch just needs a little cleaning”…I said, “Put it back in the box!”  I was still fuming because he didn’t get the correct number of fresh batteries.  No way was I putting a sluggish train under my Christmas tree!  I could just imagine that train making its way to the far side of a fully decorated tree–then stalling!  Oh my...I also instructed Ed to throw the train into the Goodwill pile, which always makes him mad!  He hates giving anything away!

On Monday, after giving the train situation much thought,  I went back to the store and purchased that shiny new Christmas train.  I’ve been very conservative with my shopping this year, and I decided to treat myself for a change.

Guess what?!  The new train only required four batteries!  It’s a good thing because I’m still fuming about being two batteries short for the old train!  I’ll bet next time Ed will buy two packs of batteries whether he wants to or not–in this case he got lucky…or did he?   I sure do like the new Christmas train!

Every Picture Tells A Story…The Rocking Chair

This old photograph was taken during the Christmas of 1977. The rocking chair in the photo was my Christmas gift from Ed that year.  (I’ve always loved rocking chairs.)

Story:  In 1977,  Ed and I moved from the city back to our old hometown early in the year. After five years of being away, it was so nice to be home again. Ed’s parents had given us a small piece of land on their farm, and it was wonderful living in the country. Once we’d gotten settled, it wasn’t long before we began to talk about starting a family.

By the time Christmas rolled around Ed and I had been trying for a baby for about three months.  I was beginning to get a little bit anxious as the months rolled by with no luck.

Then Ed gave me that rocking chair for Christmas!  About five weeks later I discovered that I was pregnant!  We always laughed and said the rocking chair made the difference!

I loved my rocking chair, and I fed and rocked all three of our babies in it.  When Brandy was a baby I kept the rocking chair in the living room.

Later, when each of the boys was born, I moved the rocking chair to their nursery.  Both boys were breast-fed, and I spent many hours rocking and nursing them– in that chair.  I’d sit in that chair, half asleep, in the wee hours of the morning– rocking a baby in my arms.

I also sat in that rocking chair the day the tornado came through our backyard.  I was pregnant with our second child at the time.  I knew a storm was coming, so I went to the smallest room in our home–the nursery.  I sat in that rocking chair and prayed until the storm passed.  Fortunately, the only damage was a blown over tree in the back yard.

As time passed, and our family grew, the rocking chair eventually made way for other things in our house.  I kept my chair in our storage shed for several years.  When we decided to build our new home, we downsized.  As a result, we got rid of many things.  My rocking chair was among the things we got rid of.

In hindsight, I sort of  wish I’d kept the chair.  What a wonderful heirloom it would have been to pass along to the family.  Of course, these days, they would probably be like me and prefer a softer, padded rocking chair.  I’m a bit partial to the newer glider rockers, and have thoroughly enjoyed rocking the last two grand babies in mine.

In fact, I’m getting a bit excited at the thought of getting to use my glider rocker again in just a few more weeks!  I sure hope baby Chase likes to rock.

The Tale Of Two Kitchens…

I’ve been scanning old photos for the past several days.  In the process, I’ve been taking a long walk down “memory lane”. The picture below was taken of mine and Ed’s parents together, on Christmas Day, 1981.  That’s their granddaughter (and mine and Ed’s daughter, Brandy) standing in front of them.

Ed's parents on left, mine on the right

It wasn’t uncommon for mine and Ed’s parents  to spend holidays together.  My parents usually celebrated most holidays early, because my brother and his family lived out-of-state.  So my parents usually spent the actual holiday at Ed’s parents’ house with all of us.  It was wonderful how our parents always got along so well.

These photos were taken in the new kitchen that Ed’s dad had recently built onto the back of their home.  See that brick wall in the background?  It used to be the back outside wall of their house!

Their original kitchen was small, and after adding new kitchen cabinets on the back wall, Ed’s parents discovered they needed more room to  dine–desperately!  Their family was growing– in the form of daughter-in-laws and grandchildren!  There simply wasn’t enough room to eat in the kitchen anymore.

Ed’s dad was a retired carpenter at the time, so he got out his hammer and saw, then added a new, larger kitchen to the back of the house!  I love a “do it yourself” kind of guy!  He was proud of his handiwork, and we soon put the new kitchen to good use.

After the kitchen was finished, Ed’s parents bought two large folding tables and placed them together.  It made a very large dining table, and we all had a place to sit–for a while.  Back in those days, we still put the food on the table, “family style”.  We almost needed some “pot passers”  like the Clampets used on the television show, ”The Beverly Hillbillies”!

cousins setting the table for MeMa

Eventually, we outgrew this table, too, and at that time, the grandchildren began eating in the “old kitchen” while the adults ate in the “new kitchen”.  Of course, the children loved having a kitchen to themselves!

Those folding tables are long gone now, as are all the chairs.  We haven’t had a large family dinner in the old house since 2004.  My parents died first, both during the nineties, followed several years later by Ed’s daddy in 2002.

These days, Ed’s mama spends most holidays with us, but occasionally she visits one of her other sons.  Last year she chose to spend Christmas at the personal care home where she currently resides.  I didn’t blame her, cause I was overing a nasty case of the flu!

For the moment, our son, Brad, and his new wife, Jennifer, are  staying in the old family house.  (You may recall that Brad lived with his grandmother prior to her health issues.)  The house still has those two complete kitchens, but Brad and Jennifer use the original small kitchen.  It’s just right for two of them.

I find it interesting how the old house has come full circle.  Over sixty years ago, it began with a family of two…hosted a family of eighteen at its last dinner in 2004…and now has dwindled back down to a family of two again.  I don’t know what the future will hold for the old family house, but that house sure holds a lot of sweet memories for me–two kitchens and all!

Christmas At Our House, 2010…part two

After waking up to find the bicycle under the Christmas tree, and reminiscing about our many Christmases past, my husband, Ed, our son( who’d come to borrow batteries) and I walked across the yard to see what “Santa” had left our granddaughter, Madison.  The atmosphere was much more festive over there!!!

Madison and her mama on Christmas morning...

Madison and her family live in the house that Ed and I raised our family in.  We have over thirty years worth of Christmas memories tied up in that house, so it was “like going home again”.  Madison showed off her gifts from Santa, while she and her parents opened their family gifts to each other.  As they did so, I remarked how many Christmases had been celebrated in that very living room.  We stayed long enough to share some breakfast casserole with Madison and her family, then traveled “just down the road” to see what our other grandchild, Caden, had gotten for Christmas.  That’s when I took the first ride on my Christmas bicycle!

Our son and his son, playing in the kitchen on Christmas morning...

Caden’s parents don’t participate in “Santa”, and  Christmas is somewhat ”low-key” at their house.  I respect his parents’ decision, but it’s certainly a big change from what we have always been used to–and I don’t especially like it.  I can’t help but feel a bit sad that Cade will never know the magic of Santa.  Leaving those cookies and milk out…waiting to see if it’s gone…  Is there anything in life that equals that feeling?  Despite the absence of “Santa”, Caden had some toys and gifts to open, and seemed to be having a fun time!  He seemed to like the gift that Ed and I bought him–an “All Star Sports Climber”.

Caden enjoying his new gift...

After visiting both of the grandkids, we returned home to finish up Christmas dinner–which for us is the 12:00 meal.  I kept it simple this year, thank goodness.  It was such a chore getting dinner on the table, I only thought to take one photo of family at the table–but they were the best looking ones there…After lunch, we gathered together, and swapped our men’s and women’s gifts.  It was a fun time, with some gift stealing and swapping going on…I stole Jennifer’s trunk organizer, while Brandy stole my bodywash set!  Brad stole the Bathroom Reader and windshield cleaner from Brett, while Brett stole the paper shredder from Clint…and so it went on! 

MiMi's favorite Christmas guests...

 

In the end, everyone ended up with two gifts each–although they were not necessarily the two gifts that they started out with! 

Of course, Jennifer received “The Christmas Panties” which have  been passed around our family for over 25 years.  Hey, she’ll be family before long, she might as well get used to it!

Jennifer shows off her "prize panties"...

  We couldn’t convince Jennifer to model those panties for a photo though–and she was a bit “put off” by those brown age spots covering the panties!!!  These panties are special to our family, and if you’d care to know more about them, click here

After opening the gifts, everyone left to go home.  Some had other relatives to visit, while others just went home to rest. 

After everyone left, Ed and I gathered up his mom’s gifts and took them to her at the personal care home.  She wasn’t feeling well, and didn’t feel like joining us for Christmas at our house.  It was the first Christmas without her in many years, and we missed her.  However, she appeared to be feeling better by Christmas evening, and we had a nice visit together. 

Merry Christmas 2010

They say “all is well that ends well”, and although our Christmas 2010 started out bad, it ended up well, so I can’t complain!  We even managed to take our yearly family photograph–with everyone wearing a Christmas hat.  Merry Christmas to all…and a Happy New Year, too!

Christmas 2010 At Our House…(part one)

Fever reducer, anyone???

I won’t soon forget Christmas 2010!  It will  be forever etched in my mind…I spent 7 long days on the couch, sick as a dog, while everyone else got ready for Christmas.

On Christmas Eve, my first day off the couch,  I was finally tidying up the kitchen a bit before the children arrived, when I noticed something about the kitchen table, and just had to take a photo.  It’s a photo of a bottle of pain/fever reducer nestled among the evergreens on the table.  Yep, that pretty much sums up my Christmas of 2010–evergreens and Tylenol–and a “mother lode” case of the flu!

Since I was experiencing fever right up until the day before Christmas Eve, our family plans were a bit up in the air until the last minute.  My husband and I knew that Christmas would come and go, and we would be celebrating the best we could,  but we weren’t sure if anyone would be joining us.  Understandably so, our children were not so sure they wanted to expose themselves to the flu.  Fortunately, my fever subsided just in the nick of time, so we didn’t have to spend the holidays alone.

I didn’t get a chance to bake any holiday goodies, but my daughter carried on the family tradition in my absence.  I don’t know how she did it, after nurturing her own four-year-old through an entire week of the flu, but she managed to make candy, and several kinds of cookies for Christmas Eve.  She and her husband also helped prepare a portion of the Christmas dinner.  Thank God for our daughter, and her helpful husband!  

Everyone gathered at our house on Christmas Eve by 7 o’clock that evening.  I made a crock pot of Chili, and Ed picked up some sub sandwiches, and a pizza.  Believe it or not, some had already eaten by the time they arrived, but they ate again.  As for me…nothing tasted good.  The flu had stolen my appetitie! 

I didn’t have time or energy to plan any games, but we opened the gifts that “The Dirty Santa” had left under our tree.  This proved to be a lot of fun. “Dirty Santa” always leaves crazy interesting gifts.  The highlight this year was whenever Jennifer opened–an empty box!  I don’t know how I “Dirty Santa” managed to forget to put the gift inside the box!!!  Here were a few of “Dirty Santa’s” gifts…

Hubby with his "Brushing Beauty"

A roll of duct tape--which Brad already has an idea for!!!

Brandy's electric dishwasher...

Of course, there were some popular gifts among the ones that “Dirty Santa” left–and they were quickly stolen 3 times each, and then retired..Among the favorites were: Mike and Ikes, candy cane gum, polka dotted socks, and Turtles (candy).  If you’ve never been visited by “Dirty Santa” I highly recommend it–it’s great for laughs and fun.

Following the gift opening, everyone went home, and I quickly fell into bed, exhausted!  The next morning, when I woke up, I came into the living room to see this sitting beside the tree…(and if you look closely, you’ll see “Bobs the cat” in the photo as well)

Kathy's Christmas bike...

Yes, my sweet hubby, Ed, slipped outside on Christmas Eve, after I went to bed, and sneaked my bicycle inside and placed it under our tree!  He even decorated it with various ribbons and bows!  Wasn’t that sweet?  In a separate package, he also gave me a horn  and a pair of streamers for my bike!   Let me tell you, I’ve got one “tricked out” ride!

I don’t know where I got the strength, but about mid-morning, on Christmas Day,  I hopped on that cute little bicycle and took a ride down the road to our son’s house.  It was like being 6 again!  Such a feeling of freedom, feeling the wind blowing my hair…and I hadn’t forgotten how to ride either!   It’s so easy to pedal, I’m looking forward to many rides to the mailbox in the future!  Thanks, “Santa Ed”!

A very "old-looking", but "young-feeling" me...first bike ride in years!

 To be continued…